New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-27
THE EVE OF THE GREAT RACE
FINAL TALK AND PREPARATIONS.
A CLOSE CONTEST PgEpIcTED-FRIENDs OF EACH
YACHT CONFIDENT or sUccEss-THE RACE
TO BE VIEWED BY THOUSANDS.

A CLOSE CONTEST PIEDIcrED-FRiENDs OF EACH
YACHT CONFIDENT or sUccEss-THE RACE
TO BIZ VIEWED ny THOUSANDS.
II there is anything OF a breeze to dav the Voun-
tecr and the Thistle will sail the first OF the series
OF races which is TO decide whether the Americas
Cup the possession of which has so long indicated
that this great Nation build faster yachts than
any other Nation, Is to remain here as the emh'em
OF Yachting supremacy. to return across the At
lantic a proof that the right little tight little
island" on whose dom'nions The sun never sets,
whose flag floats on every sea, has got ahead OF us
-y designing boat that the wind will send through
tho wafer faster than any craft that has yet been
constructed here. Let everybody that can see the
racs More than any contest for the cup that has
preceded II Will this one be worth seeing
On one point at least the nautical critics and
nroonostlcalors are agreed-it will be a close
race; It will be no procession with
tho cutter long way astern rs has been the case
IN all previous races for the cup over the inside
course. In all previous contests the opinion mas
prevailed aud the results have justified IT. that
the British boat had no chance Whatever over
the inside course But in the present case
singularly enough the opinion has changed and 1t
Is generally believed that the Thistle stands bet
fer chance over the inside couise than over any
other because over this course moderate wind
and comparatIvely smooth water usually prevail
Yet there is nothing in the record Of the Volunteer
10 indicate that she is at all inferior to the Thistle In
light weather. In a race when the air was so laht
that the other boats could hardly make headway
NJ all. the Volunteer passed over the line some
bours ahead of her nearest competitor, the May
flower.
YACHTS WHICH HAVE DEFEATED ALL CoMPEIllo's'
Roth Yachts have alike defeated all competitors
in light wind and strong wind. Both yachts arc
the fastest ever built In the respective
countries which gave them BIRTH Therefore
the contest Is truly an international one III Is
virtually trial between centreboard ana keel, ahd
the result. II at all decisive. will have marked
effect IN settling the vexed question as to which IL
the speeder Unlike Englishmen. Americans are
ouck to profit by lessons wherever learned, and II
the keel boats turn ont the faster, keel boats
American yachtsmen will have and Burgess IL
already prepared to design them. The volunteer
IA deeper and more heavily ballasted than any
other sloop that has previously competed with q
cntter for the cup And the Thistle has much
more beam than any cutter which has heretofore
tried conclusions with sloop IN these waters.
IL NAV be said that each boat has embodied the
hest elements of the opposing type so lar as that
could be done without sacrificing the distinctive
features of the type 1t s estimated that the Thistle
will spread about $500 feet of canvas, or only
12O feet lees than has the Volunteer The Thistle it
"a calculated spreads about 65 square feet OF canvas
ner ton of disbursement while the Volunteer car
mes 49, The Thistle ia the larger boat under
water: the Volunteer above water. Tho
Volunteer gets more stability from beam
than does the Thistle: her initial stability
ia greater and she will not probably heel over so
far in a moderate breeze as will the Thistle. But
the Thistle's ballast being lower down than the
Volunteers the greater will be the proportonate
benefit which she will receive from 1t the moro she
heels over In other words, the Thistle has more
reserve stability than has the Volunteer. The race
will throw much light upon the question what
points Of excellence are the most desirable In pro-
ducing speed and there will be abundance OF
discussion upon the subject when the experts get
10 figuring on the causes which led to success or
failure with either boat
hut Tor the most of people their enthusiasm is
aroused by the fact that fSs S
while the spirit Of fair play prompts the
wish that the best boat may win.
patriotism lends still stronger emphasis 70 the nope
loan boat. Four times has England tried TO recapt-
ure the Cup and twice has Canaaa striven to get
grip on IT, and each time the audacious challenger
has met with signal defeat Seven IL an unucky
number in connection with this cup business un-
lucky for the yachts that have sought TO wrest IL
from America. The four British yachts that have
ansuccessuIy competed for the cup each had seven
letters in her name-Cambria. LivoIla, Genesta'
Galatea.
ing yachts with moro than seven letters IN their
names the Atalanta and the Countess OF Dunerin,
but they failed gnobly they deserved 10 fai lor
boats. The Thistle has seven letters in her name,
this IL tho seventh contest, and the first race ~
sailed on the 27ih How will these combinations
And something In il to ponder lover But sensible
pcoplo will remember that thereis 10 very good
seven on the American side B-u-r-s-s-ss-sevsn